Vacation! MyNorth.com/vg-gt
FESTIVALS TRAVERSE CITY WINE & ART FESTIVAL JUNE 21 & 22: If a glass of wine is your style, Tc’s got you covered on that front, too. The fifth annual Traverse city Wine & Art Festival celebrates the region’s role as one of the top wine-growing regions in the country, with a chance to sample more than 100 different wines from more than two dozen area winemakers. Like Tc’s beer fest, the wine fest gives a nod to the arts too, with plenty of the best from area artists and musicians. special musical guest sixto Rodriguez, star of the Oscarwinning documentary Searching for Sugarman, headlines this year’s entertainment bill. 231.421.1172, TRAVERSECITYWINEFESTIVAL.COM. Get tickets at MyNorthTickets.com.
ANJANETTE MERRIWEATHER
5 NATIONAL CHERRY FESTIVAL
JUNE 29 - JULY 6: The area’s flagship summer festival draws more than a half-million people to the downtown Traverse city waterfront every year to celebrate the region’s ubiquitous fruit (Michigan, and specifically this area, grows nearly 75 percent of the nation’s tart cherries). Fittingly, annual highlights include cherrypie-eating and pit-spitting contests—but there’s also a giant county-fair-style midway, a parade nearly every
day, a cherry Queen pageant, air shows, car shows, beer tent, musical mainstage, fireworks, and more … way more. 231.947.4230, CHERRYFESTIVAL.ORG. TRAVERSE CITY FILM FESTIVAL JULY 30 - AUGUST 4: Brainchild of filmmaker and Traverse city transplant Michael Moore, this film fest has grown to be one of the largest festivals in the Midwest in less than a decade. With its motto, “Just Great Movies,” the emphasis is on exemplary independent, foreign and documentary films—but there are also other events, including parties, workshops and panel discussions with writers, actors, directors and other industry pros. Don’t miss the nightly free movies at the Open space waterfront park, where classic flicks are projected on a giant inflatable screen overlooking Grand Traverse Bay. 231.392.1134, TRAVERSECITYFILMFEST.ORG.
MICROBREW & MUSIC FESTIVAL AUGUST: With nearly 100 microbreweries statewide, Michigan has become a hotspot for the nation’s craft beer revolution—and the movement is alive and well in Tc. The twice-yearly Microbrew & Music Festival offers a chance to sample some of the best
brews the Mitten has to offer, with some 50 craft beverages, including beer, wine, ciders and mead. Organizers pair the extensive beer menu with food from local restaurants and four tents’ worth of musical acts. The summer installment of the festival happens in August; the winter one in February. Dates and schedule online. 231.499.4968, TCBEERFEST.COM. Get tickets at MyNorthTickets.com. WINTER COMEDY ARTS FESTIVAL FEBRUARY 2014: Proof that Northerners don’t just hunker down and hibernate in the winter, Traverse city has a combo winter festival that helps visitors and locals alike keep the seasonal blues at bay. Joining comedy with classic wintertime fun, in February, downtown Tc’s Winter comedy Arts Festival allows festivalgoers to sample local foods and ice wines in the comfort of a heated tent while taking in family-friendly events like the “Monster Dog Pull” (open to dogs of all sizes) and the “snowball softball Tournament.” If you’re looking for something with a little more edge, head inside to hear nationally touring comedians at five top Traverse city venues. WINTERCOMEDY.ORG. MyNorth 2013 Vacation! 15